


My Worst Enemy

by swtalmnd



Series: Boundary Negotiations and Strange Treaties [6]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes & Winter Soldier are Different Personalities, Communicating Like Actual Fucking Adults, M/M, Writin' Dirty 2019, hugging it out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 13:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18389249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swtalmnd/pseuds/swtalmnd
Summary: A few months after the start of it all, Winter comes to talk to Steve alone.





	My Worst Enemy

**Author's Note:**

> This one is QueenThayet's fault, and also apparently I'm going to keep putting these little ficlets in this series. Because I can.

"They tried."

Steve looked up to find Winter hovering in the doorway to his studio. "Come in. And tried what?"

"To make you my worst enemy." Winter slipped into the room furtively, like he doesn't know how to be in Steve's space. "It never worked. Even when you were my mission, some part of me knew."

"The Bucky part, or?" Steve flinched, hoping Winter didn't take offense.

Winter chuckled instead. "Probably," he said. "He was pretty dormant, but you woke him up for us."

"Us?" asked Steve, hopeful now, wanting so badly to go to Winter. And then he remembered that he could, he was allowed now, and he stood up and walked over, arms out not just harmlessly but welcomingly.

Winter sighed and let himself be enfolded, leaning solidly into Steve, both arms wrapping around him, left hand clinging to the back of his shirt like a teddy bear. "Me an' Bucky. I'm better with him awake."

"He's happy you're here," said Steve, nuzzling to the familiar soft hair and feeling the way Winter clung to him. "I am, too, now. You took care of Bucky for so long and I'm glad you're still here and letting us take care of you."

Winter hugged tighter, staying silent, going still in Steve's arms until even his breathing was so slow and even it was barely noticeable. Steve let him, kissing his hair, petting his back, giving him as long as he needed to settle into the idea that Steve didn't resent him. Not anymore.

After an interminable time Steve whispered softly, "You're not my enemy at all, you know."

"I know now," said Winter, after a deep, shuddering breath. He straightened up and stood back with an odd, stiff smile that looked like it wasn't sure how it ended up on his face. "Bucky told me you wanna draw me? To see the difference, I guess?"

Steve shook his head. "I want to draw you because you're my friend," he said, tugging Winter over to the chair that Bucky usually lounged in. "Bucky always says he can see how much I care when I draw someone."

Steve flipped open his notebook and showed Winter, not one of his many Bucky sketches, but a drawing of Tony from last week. He'd been working down in his shop and lit up inside and out by his own brilliance. This was the art that started the conversation again, after months of Bucky letting it drop, that maybe Steve cared more for Tony than he wanted to admit.

Winter's smile settled into the fondness he only really showed for Tony. "I see." 

He tossed himself into the chair, shifting until he was evidently comfortable, his pose strange on Bucky's body. He was immobile but poised, every limb positioned ready to strike or defend at a moment's notice.

Steve picked up a pencil and found a fresh page, ready to capture that alertness now that he better understood everything that Winter was ready to protect.


End file.
